New blog post time!
This week's game is Veigues: Tactical Gladiator, a post-Thexder mech action game also by Game Arts. This one's more straightforward and faster-paced with upgrade and dodge mechanics that add a little depth. You still only get one life to beat the whole thing, though!
Veigues puts up the appearance of a middling PC Engine action game or platformer or whatever at first glance. You know, something like China Warrior, big sprites that look great but don't feel so great to actually make use of. It was originally a PC-88 game, but the PC Engine version seemingly improves upon it in most ways. Give it a chance to do its thing, though, and you'll find a solid game that feels like Game Arts trying something different with the whole robot thing after Thexder hit it big for them. Instead of big sprawling levels, every level is a straight line. Instead of transforming into a jet, you can just use thrusters to fly and you can upgrade your offensive/defensive capabilities between levels. Veigues is a simpler game in terms of level design, but it focuses more on combat depth to create a fast paced action game with the intensity of a shoot 'em up. It also carries the Thexder torch with its hefty robot feel and high stakes difficulty. You can stock up on six shields, sure, but that's barely gonna be enough to survive!
The biggest standout to me, at least, is how Veigues intentionally relies on invincibility frames as a form of defensive gameplay well before this was commonplace. Veigues can only change direction when you press down on the D-pad, but when you do so, his turning animation lets you safely dodge through enemy attacks. It's not a glitch, either, because it's right in the manual! This system takes some getting used to, but once you do, it gives Veigues a feel that's pretty unique. Combining your ability to aim with your ability to dodge requires you to balance offense and defense; you can't spam dodge because you won't be able to hit anything, but you can't just hold shoot either because you won't be able to destroy everyone before they fire back.
Veigues is a game that, while not amazing, deserves a little more praise than it gets. It's a straightforward game that's pretty darn challenging towards the end, but you can absolutely get a feel for what it does right without having to finish it. Its shooting mechanics are solid, the upgrade system allows for a tiny bit of player expression, its difficulty and heavy but considered feel within the confines of fast Mecha action make it feel like an experimental Thexder offshoot, and it has some pretty cool backgrounds to boot. It even does something unexpected with its ending! Mech games are fun and Game Arts hit more often than they miss, so I like to think they deserve the benefit of the doubt, especially if you had fun with Thexder back in the day. Why not give one of their rarely acknowledged games a shot?
